An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir October 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 8 | 8 | By SgT WAynE FITzgERALD – PhOTOS By ARMn ADAM MuRPhy US Navy SEAL Honoured in Kinnitty Castle O n the 6th September 2017, uS navy SEAL Lt Michael Murphy, who was killed in action on 28th June 2005 in the hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, was honoured in the halls of Kinnitty Castle, Co Offaly, with a room being named in his memory. Lt Murphy's SEAL Team 10, which included Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz, Sonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Axelson and Hospital Corps- man 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell, was on a mission to capture or kill high-ranking al Qaeda leader, Ahmad Shah, who led a guerrilla group known as the Moun- tain Tigers. When their mission was compro- mised, the SEALs fought a two-hour battle against 40 Taliban fighters as they tried to make it out of the area. With all of the team wounded, Lt Murphy left cover during an intense fire fight, moving into the open to get a signal to call in the QRF from Bagram Air Base, while knowingly exposing himself to enemy gunfire in a deliberate and heroic act. He made contact with HQ and eight SEALs and eight members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) were dispatched in an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, accompanied by attack helicopters, to extract SEAL Team 10 in a daylight rescue. A slower armoured escort followed behind. Tragically, a Taliban RPG hit the helicopter, killing all 16 QRF troops and the crew. On the ground the SEALs were overrun and Lt Murphy and SEALs Dietz and Axelson were killed in battle, but not before an estimated 35 kills inflicted on their attackers. The remaining SEAL, Marcus Luttrel, was blown off the ridge and crawled away, dehydrated, with shrapnel embedded in both legs, three vertebrae cracked and a bullet wound. Despite his inju- ries, Luttrel managed to evade cap- ture. The next day he was found and cared for by local tribesmen and after a few more days he was rescued by US forces. He was subsequently awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart. For his courage displayed in relay- ing his unit's position, which ulti- mately led to the rescue of Marcus Luttrell and the recovery of the three SEALs killed in action, Lt Murphy was awarded the Medal of Honour. His other awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, the Joint Ser- vice Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon and National Defence Service Medal. He is survived by his mother Maureen, father Dan and his brother John, who serves in law enforcement in the State of New York. Marcus Luttrel's book about these events, Lone Survivor, was made into a movie of the same name in 2014, star- ring Taylor Kitsch as Murphy and Mark Wahlberg as Luttrell. Kinnity Castle's new owners Colin Breen and retired US Army Lt Col Bryan Bean and the Irish Veterans Associa- tion were behind the event to honour Lt Mur- phy. The day's events began with a parachute display by the Irish Parachute Club. The guests including Irish and US veter- ans were then piped into the hotel by DF veteran, Stefan O'Reilly. After an Irish whiskey tasting experience guests were entertained by the Young Wolf Tones and then to a fabulous banquette before the unveil- ing of the room. All proceeds raised were donated to the Irish Veterans Association, the Special Operations Warriors Foundation, and the Night Stalker Association. Speaking after the event Lt Col Bean said: "We are extremely grateful to those that supported this event, which was the first to commemorate Irish and Irish-American US veterans. We are planning to open an Irish post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), which is a nonprofit veterans service organisa- tion here in Kinnitty Castle." The 19th Century Kinnitty Castle is located north of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, in Co Offaly. The original castle was destroyed in 1209 and rebuilt by the Norman's in 1213. Its present owners purchased the castle in 2015. Visit www.kinnittycastlehotel.com or call 057 9137318 for reservations. DF COS Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM with US Navy Vice Admiral Retd Joe Maguire pictured in Kinnitty Castle. Parachutists, US and Irish veterans pictured with Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, DSM and Vice Admiral Joe Maguire. Navy SEAL Lt Michael Murphy, Medal of Honour recipient. Photo: www.navy.mil

• Cover